Rising Above the Peril

There were several people who were washed off of a walkway into a swollen river in a flood. They were floating along with the current and just able to keep their heads above the water while growing weaker and weaker with every panicked stroke and gulp of filthy water. Several of them were crying out in great fear and voicing the obvious aspects of peril they were in, crying out about the rushing water, the great amount of debris, the likelihood of drowning. One man, however, was not focusing on the dangerous aspects of floating debris. He was constantly looking for something big enough to grab hold of and use for flotation. He was constantly aware of what the dangerous current was bringing that might be useful in the present circumstances. When a large tree branch came floating along, he grabbed hold of it and rode it to a place where it lodged against a protrusion of land that jutted out into the river. He was then able to climb out of the danger which had, only moments earlier, threatened his life. The tree branch was a possible threat like the other debris but the man believed he could use the flotsam that present dynamics sent his way to better improve his position. He came out unscathed because, while aware of the various dangerous aspects, he chose to focus on what he might apply to rise above the peril.